


Seeing You

by prosesareread



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Blind Character, I apologize in advance, I'm very sorry, M/M, Osaaka, Slow Burn, Soulmate AU, blind! akaashi, kinda one-sided bokuaka, lots of miya twins fighting, samu wins all of them lmao, soulmate au where you get visions of what your soulmate is seeing, udai tenma needs more love tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29190336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prosesareread/pseuds/prosesareread
Summary: In a world where you can see what your soulmate is seeing, Miya Osamu is an exception. He sees nothing when he closes his eyes, and has given up on finding a soulmate. Meanwhile, Akaashi Keiji was born blind--but he sees visions in flashes when he closes his eyes. A world of color bursts in his head. Who could they be coming from? Whose eyes are allowing Keiji to see the world?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Miya Osamu, Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, miya osamu/akaashi keiji
Comments: 27
Kudos: 115





	1. A Million Dreams Are Keeping Me Awake

**Author's Note:**

> Hello this has been sitting in my head for weeks now and I had to get it out or else I'll die. Also, this chapter (the whole fic basically) was inspired by the song A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman.
> 
> A/N: There won't be any ableism in this fic, but if you find something offensive, please tell me and I will change it right away. I have done a little bit of research about blindness, but there is only so much I can learn through the internet. So please take it with a whole ass spoon of salt. 
> 
> oh also here's my tumblr: 39point1.tumblr.com

Miya Osamu, age 13, hated his twin, Miya Atsumu. Said twin is currently talking excitedly to his parents about finally having his first vision.

Everyone gets visions of what their soulmate sees when they close their eyes. Atsumu apparently got his first vision while he was sleepinh in their class earlier in the day. He jumped straight up and yelled "I GOT MY FIRST VISION."

Their chemistry teacher whacked him on the head for disrupting the class. But silently, their classmates congratulated him. Since that moment, he hasn’t stopped talking about it.

“My soulmate was on a bike! It looked like they were biking up the hill.” He said, eyes sparkling with wonder. “I bet they’re into sports, too! Maybe we can play volleyball together!”

Osamu, who was chewing into his food, suddenly lost his appetite at his twin’s story. He’s heard it at least 8 times already, it’s getting old really fast.

The reason why Osamu hated his twin is because he himself hasn’t gotten his vision yet. Most people get their visions as early as 5 years old, and they continue seeing through their soulmate’s eyes from then on.

At age thirteen, he and his twin were “late bloomers.” But not anymore. Now, he’s the only late bloomer he knows.

When Osamu closes his eyes, he sees nothing. Just a blank, dark space. His parents say that his time will come, but that doesn’t stop him from feeling upset. How come Atsumu has a soulmate, but not him? It’s unfair.

He elbows Atsumu’s face that night, while they were brushing their teeth. He hopes Atsumu’s soulmate saw him choking on toothpaste.

Maybe he’s just one of those unlucky ones who were born without a soulmate. Before falling asleep, he tries to will a vision to come to him, praying to the Inari gods to give him at least a flash of images. But none came, and he slept with a heavy heart.

-

“’Samu! What’s wrong, ya scrub!” Atsumu yells. He’s stomping on his foot and walks over to grab another volleyball for him to set to his twin. “Yer spacing out a lot. Dontcha dare ruin the Miya twins name when we’re on the court!”

Osamu glares at him but gets into position to spike. When Atsumu sets the ball, he deliberately spikes it towards his face. He smirks at Atsumu’s stupid red forehead, “Oops, my hand slipped. Yer right, I’ve been spacing out a bit.”

His twin lunged at him and they throw punches and jabs until Aran walks into the gym with Kita. Upon seeing their captain, they quickly get up and gather the balls and start the cleaning process.

“What’re you two fighting about this time?” Aran asked exasperatingly. He’s used to the twins’ fights (let’s be honest, the entire Inarizaki student body is used to them) but he can’t help but be curious what set them off this time.

“He hit my face with a ball!”

“My hand slipped, ya moron.”

“Liar!” Atsumu was about to throw a volleyball at Osamu’s head when Kita clears his throat, freezing him in his actions.

“You two need to keep your fights out of this gym.” The cold voice of their captain sounded so loud in the empty gym. “Whatever it is yer fighting about, don’t drag the team down with you. Understand?”

The twins stiffened like a pole. “Yessir.”

-

Osamu was quiet during their walk home. But Atsumu had no problem disturbing his peace.

“I had my eyes closed while eating lunch earlier, an’ guess what I saw! My soulmate was eating pork buns!” His twin was talking with his hands again, exclaiming unnecessarily about his soulmate’s lunch and drink preferences on the vending machine.

“I hope they saw my bento, I used ketchup to write my name on it so they can see it.”

He swears his twin can be so cheesy sometimes. It makes him want to hit him more, but he’s not in the mood. He’ll do it later at home.

“I’m pretty sure your soulmate has stopped closing their eyes so they can avoid seeing yer stupid face.”

“We look the same!”

“Then maybe they’ll think I’m their soulmate.”

Atsumu pauses at the thought. “Shit, you’re right. Okay, starting now I won’t look at you anymore.”

And like an idiot, Atsumu walks on ahead to avoid looking at his grey-haired twin.

Osamu rolls his eyes. People do stupid shit for their soulmates. It’s a normal thing, especially in high school. Some of their friends have already met their soulmates, too. Aran and Kita are an example. They’re definitely an amazing match and it’s perfect that they both play volleyball. Their bond is stronger than his and Atsumu’s.

Sighing, he observes the sky as the sun retires for the day. Oranges, pinks, and purples blend together and darken to welcome the dark blue of the night sky. He snaps a quick picture before the colors disappear.

-

“Good morning everyone, today we have a new student joining our class.”

The professor guides the student to the front of the class and tells him to introduce himself. The students lean forward, eager to meet their new classmate.

“Hello. My name is Akaashi Keiji.” The student said, fiddling with his fingers. “I am 16 years old, and I was born blind. I hope to learn a lot this year.” He bows to the class after his introduction.

The class gasps silently, but Keiji hears them. He has really good hearing and can even hear some of them whispering “ _poor guy_.”

He’s used to it—the pity. He ignores it most of the time. He was born this way, so it’s not like he knows how life is if he weren’t blind.

He went to a special school before, but with him entering high school, he told his parents that he has decided he was ready to experience school normally. At first, they were against it, but when Keiji told them that they can choose which high school he can go to, they slowly warmed up to the idea.

Fukurodani Academy is one of the top schools in Tokyo, and they offer tutors for students with special needs, such as Keiji. It was the best option for him, and the school was near enough that Keiji can commute safely.

His first day of high school was welcoming enough. His classmates were mostly curious about him and asking about how he lives being blind. He smiles and explains calmly that he has a cane with him that he uses to walk home but he mostly just sets it aside because he can move easily enough once he’s familiar with his surroundings.

The principal of the school was kind enough to give him a full tour of the campus so he can get a feel of how big the halls were and how to tell which rooms to enter. Luckily, prestigious schools like Fukurodani have braille embossed on their signs so he won’t have any problems getting to his classes.

After all the curious questions have been answered, his classmates mostly just let him do his thing. He listened closely to the teachers and recorded every class so he can review them when he gets home.

During lunch time, he was about to bring out his bento when he heard someone scoot their chair next to him.

“Hey hey hey! Your name is Akashi Kenji, right?” A loud, booming voice introduced himself.

“It’s Akaashi Keiji, actually…”

“Oh, my bad!” _Wow, he talks so loud._ “My name is Bokuto Koutarou, but everyone calls me Bokuto! I’m a second year here, but my friend Kaori-chan, she’s in the same class as you, told me about her cool new classmate and I wanted to meet you!”

Keiji didn’t know what to say to that. _Cool new classmate?_

“It’s very nice to meet you, Bokuto-san.”

“Don’t be too formal! Bokuto or Bo is fine.” Bokuto laughs, and Keiji can hear him opening his own bento. “What’re you having for lunch? Oh, I hope you don’t mind me joining you.”

Keiji blushes. He’s never met anyone this forward and friendly before, so he doesn’t know how to react.

“Uh, sure. Suit yourself.” He mumbles. Grabbing his bento box, he opened it carefully, setting aside the cover, and lifted it to his nose. He smells something sweet, but not too sweet. A hint of spice, and he can smell the familiar scent of _nori_. Smiling, he knew for sure what his lunch was. He delicately touched the homemade onigiri that his mother prepared. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it smells like home to him.

“It seems my mother has prepared onigiri with pickled plums and…” he paused, touching the other contents of the box. “And two pieces of spicy _karaage_.”

Bokuto had grown quiet beside him.

“What’s wrong?”

“How did you do that?!” Bokuto said, amazed by Keiji’s sharp sense of smell and touch. “Are you secretly psychic? _Do your hands have powers?!”_

Keiji furrowed his brows and laughed. “What? No, of course not.” He told the boy. “It’s a game in our family for me to guess what food we’re having. I guess I just developed a sensitive nose for food.”

Bokuto oohed, extremely impressed with his newfound friend. “Agashi, you’re so cool!”

“Bokuto-san, it’s Akaashi.” He shook his head slightly, but is amused with Bokuto’s enthusiasm.

“Oh, sorry. Akaashi!” he corrected. “Well then, let’s eat! Itadakimasu!”

Putting his hands together to express gratitude for his meal, Keiji repeated after Bokuto, “Itadakimasu.”

Keiji was nervous for his first day, but it went better than he had ever expected. He made a new friend, and although he’s louder than he liked, he’s actually really fun to talk to. His enthusiasm and energy are contagious. He met Kaori too after lunch, and she even apologized for Bokuto’s behavior, but he assured her that it’s fine. He had a pleasant lunch with him.

He doesn’t know it yet, but Bokuto was going to be one of his bestest friends for years to come.

-

When Keiji gets home, his parents asked a lot about how his first day went. They were extremely anxious for their only child, but when he recalled his classmates being nice to him and having made a friend already, they felt a little bit better.

They were eating dinner together when Keiji gets a vision.

He sees flashes of colors. Food. And a quick movement of something.

It’s hard for him to understand his visions. Being blind, he has no idea which colors are which, but with it’s easy for him to recognize food.

As a child, he’s grown to love eating food using his hands. The warm feeling in his hands and mouth makes the act of eating so much more personal and special for him. It’s probably one of his favorite feelings ever.

His parents cooked him food that are made to be eaten with hands. He quickly got used to how certain food felt in this hand and can tell what they are without smelling them firsthand. It’s become a fun game for them. They even branched out to food that are eaten using utensils and his parents are amazed at how good Keiji was with identifying them. Even without touching food such as ramen or hotpots, Keiji can easily identify it just from smell alone.

 _It’s nice_ , Keiji thought to himself. _To be good at something._

_At the young age of eight was when he got his first vision. It terrified him. He was reading a book in his room when images suddenly flashed inside his head. He ran to find his mother in their living room and clung to her, crying about loud sounds in his head._

_His mother held him tightly and explained calmly about visions and how it’s connected to your soulmates._

_After half an hour, Keiji finally calmed down. His mother told him that it’s great he’s seeing his soulmate’s visions. Keiji can’t see but he can see through his soulmate’s eyes and the thought brought a big smile on his face._

_He returned to his book but he couldn't focus on the story. He’s too busy thinking about his soulmate and what his vision was. What was his soulmate doing? What colors did they see?_

He was excited. His world has been dark for years, but with these visions, he can finally see the world.

Now, with his most recent vision, he wonders what the flash was, and was briefly scared that his soulmate was in danger. He shook his head and tried to get the idea out of his mind. His soulmate had to be more careful than that, right? He didn't know who they were but he hoped they were alright.

_But what if they were the one doing harm?_

He felt a cold chill run through his spine. And that night, he prayed that his soulmate was a good person who would never harm another being.


	2. What The World Could Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keiji befriends the ace named Bokuto, and has been introduced to the world of volleyball. Meanwhile, in a prefecture far away, Ojiro Aran is stuck with the Miyas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO glad you are all liking this so far! I have a lot of this written down already but I will be updating every week or so, so please subscribe if you want to be updated! Also, please ignore any grammatical errors if there are any, because this is the first fic I've written since my first year of college LMAO
> 
> Enjoy!

“So, Volleyball is a sport where you have a team of six players, with a special place for a libero,” Bokuto explained. “And it’s all about teamwork and I’m the spiker of the school’s team and it’s _sooooooo_ awesome!”

“Yes, Bokuto-san. I know volleyball, and I’ve heard from Komi-san that you are one of the top aces of the country.” Akaashi was half-reading a novel and half-listening to Bokuto recalling his volleyball moments. He didn’t mind when his best friend talked endlessly about the sport. Even though he can’t watch it, it’s very entertaining to hear it from Bokuto’s perspective. He, at least, knew for sure that the sport is high-paced and exciting.

“You should come to one of our games sometime!” Bokuto offered. “I’ll save you a good seat so you can hear us winning! It’ll be great!”

Akaashi smiled. “I’m not sure about that, Bokuto-san. But we’ll see.”

“YES! I’m so excited for you to—OWWW!” He heard a loud smack and assumed that someone has hit Bokuto on his head. It happens often, and the person hitting him is always…

“Hello, Kaori-san.”

“Hi, Keiji! What book are you reading?” He feels Kaori’s hand on his shoulder, probably trying to look at his book.

“Ah, it’s in braille, but it’s called _The Secret Garden_. It’s a very interesting read.”

The book was wonderful and was one of Keiji’s favorites. Keiji has read it multiple times and it never gets old for him. He’s amazed with the correlation of gardening and growing plants as a way for healing. The symbolism of growth and healing never failed to amaze him. It’s magical and he gets butterflies in his stomach whenever he finishes reading it.

“Kaori-chan, why did you hit me?!” Bokuto pouted in a mopey voice.

_Ah, he’s about to go into his emo mode again._

Kaori scoffed at Bokuto. “You can’t force Akaashi to come to your games, idiot! It’s way too loud in the gymnasium!”

“Can’t he sit next to Coach?!” Bokuto asked. “That way he can hear our genius planning and strategies!”

Keiji heard another smack and squawk from Bokuto.

He smiled. “Kaori-san, it’s fine. I’m sure the noise from the gymnasium is nothing compared to Bokuto-san’s booming voice.”

He and Kaori laughed at Bokuto’s offended cries.

“I’m not _that_ loud!”

-

Keiji ended up going the game anyway. It’s the nationals and Bokuto has been raving about it non-stop, so he wanted to support his friend and his school. Since only one manager was allowed on the bench, Yukie accompanied him on the bleachers.

Kaori was right about it being loud, but he strangely loves the energy that’s buzzing on the bleachers.

The cheerleaders of their school were great, and he could even hear some of the shouts from the court—with Bokuto’s voice being the loudest.

“Wow, the rival school has a cool cheering squad.” Yukie commented.

Keiji agrees. Even though their cheerleaders were loud enough, the rival school was dominating the bleachers. Sometimes even blocking the sound of the announcer’s commentary.

“Which school is our team against?” Keiji asked.

Yukie hummed. “Inarizaki High, I think?” she lowered her voice. “Not to commit an act of treason, but their team is really cool.”

Keiji elbowed Yukie lightly. “You’re lucky I won’t rat you out as a traitor.”

“Hey, trust me, it’s true!” she exclaimed. “They have this amazing middle blocker who is _sooo_ pretty, but not as pretty as _you_ obviously because you’re the prettiest, and their ace has a really strong spike that is almost the same as Bokuto’s!”

Keiji shook his head at Yukie’s comment on him being prettier. His friends keep telling him he’s pretty, but the compliment is useless to him. But he’s glad they think so, even though he suspects they’re exaggerating a bit.

“But the real highlight of Inarizaki is their twin players.” Yukie sighed dreamily. “One of the twins is a setter, and the other is a spiker! They are so hot and, man, their plays are so smooth!”

Keiji grinned at Yukie’s lovestruck sighs. He’s glad he knew plenty about volleyball rules and positions from Bokuto so he can understand why Yukie is so impressed with the rival school.

“That sounds amazing and all, but from what I’m hearing, we are ahead by six points already.” He stated.

Yukie laughed. “You’re right. They may have some cute players, but no one can beat Bokuto’s energy on the court.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Their school wins two out of three sets. It was a close match, but apparently the rival school has had many service errors, which ultimately led to Fukurodani getting the win.

The cheers were defeaning but Keiji joins in on the screaming, he’s genuinely excited for his friends for winning and advancing to the semi-finals of the nationals.

“Hey hey hey, Akaashi!” The familiar loud voice of Bokuto greeted them while he and Yukie walked toward the stairs to congratulate the team personally. “Did you hear my spikes?! I was so good this match!”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re amazing, Bokuto.” He heard Konoha say, sarcasm evident on his tongue. “You’re a real hero.”

“HERO?!” Bokuto gasped. “That’s a good name. I should use that. ‘ _Hero Bokuto_.’ It sounds perfect!”

Konoha groaned. Bokuto’s going to keep repeating that nickname until it stuck—which is highly unlikely.

Keiji congratulated the team on their win and they each pat his arm and thanked him for coming.

“So, how’s your first time going to a volleyball game?” Sarukui asked him.

He thought for a moment, humming. “Loud. But fun.”

They all laughed, and the coach called out to them, saying they could go eat barbecue to celebrate. This evoked excited woops from the team.

Keiji was about to excuse himself so he can go home, but Kaori and Yukie dragged him along with them.

“Keiji, you can’t go home yet!” Kaori told him. “You’re a part of the team, you need to celebrate with us!”

“Yup! And I need you there so I can eat your leftovers!” Yukie added, giggling.

Keiji felt all warm inside and allowed the two girls to pull him along. The volleyball team has always treated him like family since Bokuto introduced him. And even though he’s not an official member of the team, they acted as if he was. It felt good to be welcomed to a tight-knit group. Even the coach is nice to him, often joking about the irony of him being best friends with Bokuto, a known loudmouth.

He’s very lucky to have them.

As they exit the gymnasium, Keiji closes his eyes and scratches an itch on his brow and is hit with an intense vision. He freezes where he stood.

_Hands. Palms up,_ he thinks _. An intense color._ Red, was it? Or yellow? He couldn’t tell yet. _And there seemed to be tears dropping on them. His soulmate was looking down so he couldn’t make any sense of the vision, but he had a clear view of his shoes. Interesting._

Then the vision disappears.

He returned to reality where Kaori was tapping on his arm. “Keiji? You okay? Do you want to go home instead?”

Keiji turned to the direction of her voice. “Oh. No, I’m fine.” He said quietly. “I just…. had a vision, is all.”

Bokuto heard this and jumped into the conversation asking him a million questions. Even Yukie was curious about his vision.

Keiji sweats at their insistence, until Konoha pulled them away from him.

“You two! Let’s get barbecue first before you start bugging Akaashi-kun.”

Keiji holds Kaori’s arm again and Yukie latches onto his other arm.

“I’m so happy for you Keiji!” she gushed. “Visions always give me butterflies.”

Kaori sighed dreamily beside him. “Ahhh, I wonder when I can meet my soulmate.”

Keiji wondered the same.

-

“You suck at volleyball. Someone who can’t even spike my sets shouldn’t be on the team. You’re a disgrace to our school.”

Osamu grit his teeth. His twin was doing his thing where he thinks he’s the god of volleyball and everyone must bow down to him and obey his orders.

“Here he goes again…” Suna sighed, and pulled his phone out of his pocket to record the incoming fight.

Aran looked disapprovingly at him, but Suna just blinked at him and pressed the red button to record.

Atsumu continued his insults at Osamu’s plays, while Osamu just sat on the floor staring at his hands. His hands were wet, and he realized that he was crying. He’s shocked. Atsumu has never made him cry before. It was always him making his twin cry. It made him irrationally angry.

The blonde turned away from him and started to depart from the gym like the supervillain he thinks he is.

Osamu wiped his hands on his pants, stared at his shoes for a second, took a deep breath, then launched himself at his twin’s back.

Needless to say, the entire student body of Inarizaki high crossed off ‘ _the twins fighting after losing a match_ ’ on their Miya bingo cards.

At Kita’s request, Aran walked the twins home. His house is a bit farther than the twins’ so it’s not too inconvenient for him.

What’s inconvenient and really unpleasant is how both twins have bruises on their faces. Atsumu’s lip was cut from Osamu’s punch, and Osamu cheek was scratched from Atsumu kicking him.

The twins were turned away from each other and kept a ten-foot distance between them. Aran sighed, and adjusted his gym bag on his shoulder.

“You know, you two need to stop hitting each other.” He said, his voice slicing through the thick silence. “I heard some girls talking in my class worrying about you two getting permanent scars on your faces. You wouldn’t want to disappoint your fangirls, right?”

Osamu laughed mockingly. “Fangirls? Only Tsumu cares about that. I don’t care what those girls think about me. At least if I get a permanent scar, I won’t look as ugly as ‘Tsumu.”

“Huh?!” Atsumu whipped his head towards his twin and stomped his foot. “We have the same face and if you get a scar, you’d automatically be the ugly twin, dumbass!”

“Shut up, we all know that scars are cooler than a stupid plain face.”

Aran pretended not to hear the stupid argument, but at least the twins are somewhat in normal terms with each other.

“I think you’re both ugly, so let’s end that discussion.” He declared, stopping the twins from escalating to another full blown quarrel. “What do ya think about getting some ice cream from the convenience store?”

The twins ignored Aran’s comment. Internally, they both agreed that compared to Aran, they are just dirt that ants carry on their backs.

“YES!” They both shouted. “Your treat!”

Aran sputtered as the twins run ahead towards the store.

“W-wait!” He yelled at them. “I didn’t say that! Dammit!”

-

Atsumu and Osamu played Mario Kart after eating dinner. Osamu was actually still munching on snacks, his appetite a bottomless void. Two bags of pocky already sat beside him, emptied of their contents.

“’Samu how the hell are ya winning while eating!” Atsumu shrieked. “What the hell!”

“You just suck, ya scrub.” Osamu deadpanned.

Atsumu groaned in frustration as Osamu won again and laid dramatically on their bedroom floor.

“Hey, ‘Samu.”

“What, ‘Tsumu.”

Atsumu stared at their ceiling. “I got another vision from my soulmate today.”

Osamu looked at him. He’s gotten used to Atsumu talking about his visions that they no longer bother him as much as before. In fact, some of his visions even interest him.

“What, were they biking again?” he asked. “Why is your soulmate always biking.”

His twin hummed, still staring at the ceiling. “No. This time they were eating pork buns, _again_ , and watching the TV at one of those electronic shops.”

He sat up and put a finger up to his chin. “I didn’t get a clear image of what they were watching, though. But it sure looked like the sports channel. Gah, I wish I knew which sport it was!”

Osamu stared at his frowning twin and thought about it. _What are the odds that it was a volleyball game?_

Nah. He’s not gonna suggest that possibility to Atsumu. He would never hear the end of it. He was very convinced that his soulmate was an athlete, but Osamu was still skeptical. Atsumu tended to believe firmly in his assumptions, which is dumb.

“I bet they were watching boxing and looking at those buff men beat each other up.” He waved a hand dismissively and went back to the game to play solo.

Atsumu looked at him with horror. “Boxing? Oh, god. Do I have to bulk up for them?!”

Osamu snickered, satisfied with the panic that’s building up in his twin’s head.

But if he had a soulmate like that, he’d probably be just as stupid and sign up for a gym membership.

He shook his head. Good thing he doesn’t have a soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asking for a friend (Osamu): What do you think of Atsumu? 
> 
> Asking for me: What would you put on a Miya twins bingo card?   
> I'd put "says the word scrub".


	3. there to make you smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone meets their soulmate.

When the twins are in their second year of high school, Atsumu meets his soulmate.

They had entered the Tokyo Stadium on the second day of Spring Nationals, ready to win their first match. But they were completely caught by surprise by the unassuming team they were up against. A school that was once a powerhouse years ago. And they beat them.

The match was intense, and it brought out a fire in all of them, even Suna who usually lazed around in games.

But in the end, the rival team emerged victorious. Osamu and Atsumu were gasping from exhaustion as they stare at their opponents. As they shook hands with the winning team, Atsumu suddenly froze in front of an orange-haired player.

He was the one who caught them all by surprise. He was one of the shortest players Osamu has ever seen in his volleyball journey. But, damn, the kid had insane stamina. He was almost as crazy as his twin when on the court.

Atsumu was holding up the line by staring at the short guy.

“Oi, ‘Tsumu.” He called out. “Stop staring at him like a creep. Yer not that intimidating.”

But when he looked closely, the both of them were actually staring at each other in surprise. It was as if they were communicating telepathically.

It was as if they knew each other. It was as if they have been childhood friends that lost contact with each other and finally met once again by chance.

_It was as if they've been looking for the other for the longest time and finally found each other._

Atsumu took a shaky breath, and said to the other player, “U-uhm. Hi. I’m Atsumu.”

The other said his name was Hinata Shoyo.

He beamed at Atsumu, and Osamu was shocked to see his twin blushing from his ears to his neck.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Atsumu-san!”

Osamu stared at Hinata. And then at Atsumu. And then at Hinata again.

His mind was connecting the dots.

Then it hit him.

“Holy shit, you’re soulmates?!”

All of the players from both teams were looking at them now, and started to drag both away to overload them with questions and congratulations.

Before they can be separated from each other, Atsumu looked at Hinata straight in the eye and pointed a finger at him.

“Shoyo-kun. I’ll set for you someday.”

Shoyo gaped at him for a moment. Then smiled as brightly as his hair, “I look forward to it, Atsumu-san!”

Osamu was always saying that he loathed the fact that Atsumu was his twin and vowed to always make his life a living hell. But right now, seeing his twin with an honest smile on his face, he felt really happy for him.

He will never know the feeling of being _found_ , but deep inside, and he would _never_ admit this to Atsumu, he’s glad that his twin is finally found.

They stayed in Tokyo to watch the rest of Nationals. Atsumu had a glow around him the entire time. He had a big smile on his face watching his soulmate play volleyball as if his life depended on it. He couldn’t believe that his soulmate was also a volleyball nut like him. He was right after all. All these years, he believed his soulmate was an athlete. He was grinning to himself thinking about the future he’ll have with his soulmate.

Osamu was already tired of Atsumu’s stupid grinning face, so he just stuffed his face with some onigiri he bought at a store nearby.

Karasuno won their first match on Day 3 of Spring Nationals against Nekoma High. It was an amazing match to watch. And when Karasuno got the final point, Atsumu suddenly shouted to from their place at the sidelines.

“SHOYO-KUN, CONGRATULATIONS!”

Osamu wanted to shrivel up and disappear. He pretended he didn’t know Atsumu and inched farther away from him.

He winced when he heard Hinata shout back, all the way from the court. “Atsumu-san! Did you see my spikes?!”

“YES, YOU WERE AWESOME!”

Other spectators were staring at Atsumu now and Osamu cringed at his twin’s embarrassing behavior.

Soulmates really do make people into idiots.

Before his twin could launch himself straight from the railings, Osamu dragged him away to watch a different match on the other side of the stadium.

“Shut up, yer so embarrassing.”

“Yer just jealous I finally met my soulmate!” Atsumu huffed.

He stuffed his twin’s face with the empty paper bag his onigiri was packaged in.

“You’re ugly.”

“YOU’RE UGLIER.”

-

Fukurodani Academy was playing Morikawa High. Osamu remembered their team clearly. They had a match with them in their first year at the Interhigh. Their ace is one of the top aces in the country, and Atsumu had always said that Osamu could use a bit of Bokuto’s energy, to which Osamu responded by flipping him off.

Osamu huffed and found a seat in the bleachers. Atsumu was somewhere with Hinata, because apparently Hinata was close friend with Bokuto and came over to watch the match. The two were currently leaning on the railings, shoulders almost merging together, and talking animatedly to each other. Osamu rolled his eyes at them.

They met just yesterday and they’re already being lovey dovey.

He slouched in his seat and pulled out his phone to send a text to Suna when his elbow hit the person seated next to him.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry.” He apologized quickly. He turned to the person and was struck by what he saw.

He had short, dark, curly hair; pink lips that looked so soft he almost went to touch them. But what really caught his eye were his milky eyes. Eyes that shone like stars on a clear, night sky. His face was a perfect blend of soft and solid. A sculpture created by the heavens above. 

Because of his milky eyes, Osamu realized that the Pretty Boy was blind, and now Osamu feels even more like an asshole for accidentally hitting him.

The pretty stranger turned to his direction and said, “Oh, it’s no problem.” He smiled reassuringly and turned back to face the match. Osamu saw that he was sitting next to a brown-haired girl and their arms were linked together. He wondered what their relationship was. And he also wondered why he was so fixated on the Pretty Boy..

He deflated a bit. They looked like a couple. Osamu doesn’t understand why he felt disappointed but for now he’s glad he is sitting next to a really pretty guy.

He cleared his throat. “So, are you from Fukurodani?” he hoped that the girlfriend wouldn’t mind him making small conversation, but she didn’t seem to be paying much attention to them. Her eyes were fixed on the current match.

The black-haired beauty nodded. “Yes. I’m actually here to cheer for my best friend. I believe his jersey number is 4.” His voice was filled with pride. _Damn, he's also hooked on the ace. What kinda guy is he?_

Osamu raised both of his eyebrows. “You mean Bokuto Koutarou? The top three ace of the country?”

He smiled and chuckled. “Yes, that’s him.” His head turned slightly towards Osamu again, and Osamu’s breath hitched in this throat. Why did it seem as if he could see everything about Osamu?

“Are you a player, too?”

Osamu recovered quickly from his daze. “Yeah! But…our team actually lost just now.”

“Oh.” The boy paused. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you did very well. Which school do you go to?”

“Inarizaki High.” He smiled and was glad the boy couldn’t see him. He probably looked like a creep, grinning at him.

The stranger was about to say something, but his girlfriend suddenly gasped beside him.

She leaned over Pretty Guy and looked at him. “Oh my god, you’re Miya Osamu!”

Osamu blinked. “Uhh, yeah. Hi.”

“I’m Yukie!” She said excitedly. “Oh, and this is my friend Akaashi!”

Akaashi. Now the pretty face had a name. And the term ‘ _friend_ ’ certainly didn’t escape him. His spirits lifted a little.

“It’s nice to meet you two.”

Yukie continued chatting with him, telling him how amazing it is that he has a twin, and how great their ace is. But, really, Osamu wasn’t paying much attention to her because he was hyper-aware of Akaashi next to him, stuck between him and Yukie in their volleyball conversation.

He tried to change the topic. “Akaashi here was just telling me that Bokuto is his best friend. That’s really cool.”

Yukie smiled fondly at Akaashi. “Yeah, those two are inseparable.” She said. “Bokuto always makes Akaashi come to his games, even though it’s too loud for him.”

Akaashi sighed beside him. “Yukie-san, I’m right here. And also, I don’t mind coming to games. I actually really like the atmosphere.”

“Hmmm, sure, Akaashi.”

To Osamu’s surprise, Akaashi faced him again. “So, Miya-san, I recall our team going against your school last year?”

He was blushing now. Oh god, he was blushing. He glanced at his twin. Atsumu was still talking to Hinata. He sighed in relief. If Atsumu saw him right now, he would tease him forever. Thankfully, Akaashi can’t see it. He braved a glance towards Yukie but she had returned to watching the match. _No witnesses._

“Yeah, we had a match with your team.” He answered. “But Bokuto basically demolished us. You’ve got some really great players.”

Akaashi hummed. “They’re a lively bunch, for sure.” He seemed to contemplate on something for a moment. “If I tried playing volleyball, I would probably end up in the hospital.” He said quietly.

He blushed immediately after saying it and ducked his head.

Yukie patted his thigh. “Akaashi, don’t be embarrassed!” she reassured him. “I’d end up in the hospital, too!”

Hearing that, Akaashi lifted his head and let out a soft chuckle. The sound reverbrated in Osamu's chest.

Osamu was so gone. They lost their match against Karasuno, but this man right here, Akaashi, with his beautiful face and dark, curly hair. With his soft, honeyed voice. He was losing himself.

_Man. If I had a soulmate, I’d wish it was him._

He wanted to talk more to him, but the referee’s whistle interrupted him, signaling the end of the match. Fukurodani won straight sets.

Yukie jumped up and screamed. She turned to Akaashi and pulled him towards the railings, and he joined her in cheering.

Osamu watched as Bokuto himself looked at Akaashi, waving wildly.

“ _Ahgaahsshi!!!_ WE WON!” he shouted.

He watched Akaashi’s face as he grinned upon hearing the ace’s voice. He yelled back, “Congratulations, Bokuto-san!”

Osamu felt like he was witnessing something private. Akaashi is way out of his league, anyway. Surrounded by all these attractive people? It’s impossible he doesn’t have a significant other.

He was about to walk away when Atsumu appeared next to him.

“’Samu! Guess what!” Atsumu said. “Shoyo is Bokuto’s apprentice! Isn’t he awesome?!”

Bokuto again. It seems like everyone knows Bokuto and is enamored by him. He felt a pang of jealousy.

What was wrong with him? He had no right to be jealous over this guy he barely knows.

He watched Bokuto walk towards the bleachers and greet Hinata, with the jumpy orange shouting compliments to him. They were both loud and obnoxious and high energy.

He can’t help but be amused. He understands why people love them.

He looked at his twin beside him and he looked so lovestruck it made him want to barf. But he was smiling at him as he shoved his shoulder. “Yer a lucky guy.”

Atsumu didn’t even turn to face him. He just kept staring at his soulmate. “Yeah. I really am.”

Osamu sighed, his chest starting to feel really heavy, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Yukie, with Akaashi beside her.

“Osamu-kun, do you mind if Akaashi stayed here? I need to go help out with the boys’ stuff.” She asked shyly.

Akaashi sighed deeply. “Yukie, I’m fine. This isn’t my first time at a game, you know.”

Osamu responded quickly, not wanting to let the opportunity slip. “Sure thing! I’ll take care of Akaashi-kun here.” He winked at Yukie and the girl blushed even more deeply before heading towards the Fukurodani team.

“I’m really sorry about this, Miya-san.” Akaashi said meekly. “I’m not that helpless. My friends just tend to get overprotective.” He had a small pout on his face and Osamu resisted the urge to touch his lips to see if it was as soft as he was imagining.

Instead, he said “I don’t think you’re helpless at all. You’re pretty good company, Akaashi-kun.” He hoped he sounded smooth enough.

Akaashi didn’t seem weirded out. And to Osamu’s surprise and delight, he leaned closer to him. Close enough that Osamu can smell a bit of cologne and shampoo. He blushed and felt guilty for smelling him like a creep.

“Don’t tell anyone, but Yukie’s a huge fan of you and your twin.” He whispered, completely oblivious to the effect he had on Osamu.

Osamu cleared his throat and forced a laugh from his mouth. “Oh, that’s really…. nice.”

He decided to take a leap.

“Oh, by the way, you can call me Osamu.” He told Akaashi. He didn’t know why he did that. His instincts just told him to act and talk.

Akaashi just stood there for a while, like he was in a trance.

A few members of the Fukurodani team have climbed the stairs towards the bleaches and he saw that Yukie was chatting to them and congratulating them. His precious time with Akaashi was going to end soon.

Meanwhile, Akaashi was still looking straight at Osamu, silent. 

Osamu was sure Akaashi was staring at his soul, but that’s impossible. He felt exposed, somehow.

Finally, Akaashi spoke up. “ _Osamu._ ” He spoke lowly. His name from his mouth sounded like a million angels singing praises from above. He was being lifted towards the heavens. Gold was raining down on him.

Osamu felt weak in the knees.

Then the moment was interrupted by the one and only _Bokuto Koutarou_.

“Hey hey hey! Akaashi!” he greeted. When he noticed Osamu in front of him, he brightened up.

“You’re one of the Miyans!” he exclaimed. “I really wanted to play against you guys! Your match with Karasuno was wild! I was watching during the first half and you guys were really—”

“Bokuto-san, don’t overwhelm him.” Akaashi said calmly, stopping Bokuto’s tirade.

Bokuto scratched the back of his neck. “Heh, sorry about that. Akaashi, I didn’t know you were friends with the Miyans!”

Osamu chuckled at how Bokuto called him and his twin _Miyans_. “Actually, Akaashi-san and I just met today. He was telling me about his best friend who was a great ace.”

He tried not to sound too stiff and bitter. But it was hard to be mean to the ace. He was like a dog. You can’t help but be nice to him and encourage him.

“Oh! Really?!” He asked incredulously. “I like you! Let’s play volleyball someday!”

Osamu nodded in response, unsure of what to say.

“Bokuto-san, you always want to play with everyone.” Akaashi commented.

“Well, of course!” Bokuto huffed and puffed his chest. “To become number one, I need to beat everyone!”

Akaashi tsk-ed like he was used to the ace’s declarations.

“Oh! Coach is calling me,” the ace said. “Akaashi, I’ll be right back!”

He was left alone with Akaashi once again. Osamu shifted his weight on his feet, feeling anxious. He wanted to talk to Akaashi more, but he felt that he already bugged him enough.

He glanced at Akaashi, who was leaning at the railings, looking calm despite being left alone by his friends. Osamu couldn’t help but stare at him. His side profile was just as lovely. The ridge of nose looked elegant, his lips had a natural, pretty pout, and he had long eyelashes that framed his milky eyes. His breath was taken away. He can’t believe he can get this close to a god incarnate.

“Osamu-san.” Akaashi’s voice snapped him out of his daze, and he wondered if Akaashi could feel him staring at his face.

“Yes, Akaashi-kun?” He sounded like an idiot with the slight tremble in his voice.

“What do you think about soulmates?”

Osamu’s eyes widened. The question completely threw him off guard. Where did that come from?

Akaashi was waiting for his answer, so he said, “Ah. I think soulmates are cool.” He said nervously. “My twin met his soulmate yesterday, and it made me realize how amazing it was that some people really were meant for each other.”

He wasn’t lying. He was really glad for his twin, even though he was openly fawning over his soulmate right now with no shame whatsoever.

Osamu turned his body to face Akaashi. “What about you, Akaashi-kun? Have you met your soulmate?”

Akaashi hummed and fiddled with his fingers. Osamu noticed that his fingers were long and pretty. He wanted to hold them and kiss them.

 _Shut up, Osamu._ He told himself. _Yer being a creep._

“I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to meet my soulmate.” Akaashi answered. He sounded sad, and he had a slight frown on his face. “It’s strange seeing visions in my head, because I have no idea what I’m seeing.”

“Oh.” Osamu was intrigued. He didn’t know that blind people could get visions too. “When did you get your first vision, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I got my first vision when I was eight years old.” He said. “I was terrified and cried to my mother.” He laughed at the memory.

Osamu laughed along with him. He could imagine the shock Akaashi experienced. Being blind and suddenly having images flashing in his head.

He felt a slight pang of pain inside his chest again. Akaashi had a soulmate, and he didn’t.

“What about you, Osamu-san?” Akaashi asked. It was a perfectly normal question. A common, innocent question. But Osamu still can’t help the feeling of emptiness inside of him.

“Actually… I don’t have one.” He said hesitantly. “I’ve never gotten any visions.”

Akaashi stopped fiddling with his fingers and fell silent.

“I’m sorry.” he apologized.

Osamu was suddenly scared that he upset Akaashi. “Oh, please don’t be. I’ve accepted it now.”

He bumped his shoulder against Akaashi’s to reassure him, and he swore he felt a spark ignite between them. Or maybe that’s just him.

Before they can talk about another topic, Yukie and another girl came up to them and held Akaashi’s arms.

“Osamu-kun! Thank you for taking care of Akaashi!” Yukie smiled at him, and to Akaashi, she said, “Come on, Bokuto is buying us ramen!”

Right as they were about to lead Akaashi away, Akaashi turned to Osamu.

“It was very nice meeting you, Osamu-san. I hope we meet again someday.”

And with that, Akaashi was dragged away by the two girls, leaving Osamu alone.

_I hope we meet again someday._

Osamu was utterly, completely, absolutely gone. This pretty stranger (well, no longer a stranger) had taken his heart away with just a short conversation.

He was screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi! Finally, Hinata joins the party! (You can tell I very much ship atsuhina with no shame at all) Thank you for all the kudos and views, they mean a lot to me and they encourage me to keep on writing! Updates may be slower because of work but I assure you all that this fic has an ending ❤ Follow my tumblr @39point1 if you want to see more hq content!


	4. call me crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keiji overthinks too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I appreciate all the kudos omg. I really hope you are all enjoying this so far. I have so many ideas for this fic and sometimes I get overwhelmed with it lmao. Thank you so much for all the support, every kudos adds 10 years to my lifespan.

Atsumu sat between his twin and Suna on their bus the way back to Hyogo.

“He’s the best!” he went on. He’s been talking about his soulmate for thirty minutes now, with no signs of stopping. “He said he’d love to play with me someday, and even promised that he’d beat us again in the next tournament!”

Suna ignored him, as usual, and kept scrolling on his phone.

Osamu rolled his eyes. “Beat us?” he scoffed. “No way. We’re gonna beat their asses next time.”

“’Samu! Don’t be mean!” Atsumu moaned. “I mean, I also want to win, but we’ll just see! I bet Shoyo-kun’s gonna be so impressed if we land the final point.”

His twin was practically vibrating with excitement. It wasn’t until Suna elbowed him in the gut that he calmed down and stayed still.

Osamu brought out his eye mask from his gym bag so he can sleep the rest of the way home.

As he dozed off, he didn’t get any visions, but he did dream of Akaashi’s dark hair, pink lips, smooth voice, and his flawless face. Which is way better than any vision.

-

“Hey Akaashi, you’ve been really quiet.” Kaori asked, passing a glass of water to Keiji’s hand. “Did you have another vision?”

They were at the ramen place. The entire Fukurodani volleyball team, plus Keiji. The guys were busy slurping on their noodles—most of them ordered seconds because Bokuto’s paying for them. Said man is currently huddled in the corner booth with his back on all of them, moping about his allowance.

Akaashi took a sip of water. He didn’t realize how quiet he’s been the entire time. Usually, he listens and comments on the boys’ recollection of their match. But today, his mind is preoccupied.

He had a vision earlier. Before they left the stadium.

While he was talking to Miya Osamu.

It was a complete coincidence that he met the Inarizaki spiker. Even Yukie was surprised. She couldn’t stop talking about how handsome he is in person. She described him to Keiji as a “man with a solid build, but ‘not as huge as Bokuto’, dyed grey hair, and lazy eyes that can captivate anyone.”

Keiji had tried to conjure up the image in his head but failed. He doesn’t know what grey looks like, after all. But he blushed when Yukie mentioned Osamu’s build. He remembers when Bokuto let him touch his muscles, and although Keiji felt extremely embarrassed doing so, he could appreciate and agree that Bokuto is definitely built differently compared to him.

“Sorry,” he said to Kaori. “I guess I’m just tired from the game. I still can’t get used to screaming and cheering.”

Yukie laughs from across the table. “Yeah, you were pretty hyped back there.”

“Oh?” Kaori hummed curiously. “Did something good happen at the bleachers?”

Yukie, who was slurping her ramen noisily suddenly made a choking noise. Keiji pushed his glass of water towards her direction. “Yukie-san, be more careful please.”

She accepted the water and chugged it. “Oh, Kaori you wouldn’t believe it.” She said. “THE Miya Osamu approached us, and we ended up talking to him for a while! And, god, he’s _so_ gorgeous in person. I think he’s my favorite Miya twin now.”

Kaori tsk-ed at her. “You don’t have to tell me. I saw Keiji talking to him while I was gathering water bottles.” She turned to Keiji and linked her arm to his.

“So, Keiji…” she started. “What did you two talk about? It sure looked like you two were flirting back there.” She was teasing him, he knew that, but he felt his face heat up thinking about the man.

“Kaori-san, you’re greatly mistaken.” He assured her. “He was only interested in our volleyball team, especially Bokuto-san.”

“Are you sure? Because Bokuto was talking to me while you and Osamu were talking.” Yukie teased.

His face grew hotter. “It was nothing. We just had a casual conversation.”

“Mmmhmm.” The two girls hummed in unison.

Keiji formed a half-hearted frown on his face. “You two can keep assuming, but there is no way that Osamu-san is interested in me. After all, I’m…”

Keiji has never been in a relationship before. It’s not like nobody has expressed their feelings towards him before. There have been a couple of people who confessed to him, but he politely turned them down. He just felt guilty because he felt that he’d only be a burden on them.

“Oh, Keiji stop with the pity party!” Kaori exclaimed. “You have a soulmate, right? Don’t you dare lose hope!”

“Kaori’s right!” Yukie added. “Also, there’s nothing wrong with pursuing someone before you meet your soulmate.

He sighed. These two were always trying to get him to get a significant other. He thought that coming out as gay would finally stop them from trying to set him up, but the confession only made them more eager to find Keiji the perfect boyfriend for him.

“You two assume too much.” He said. “Osamu-san and I are nothing but acquaintances.”

Yes. They were just acquaintances. But Keiji felt a connection between them. He was sensitive when it came to the feeling of touching, so when Osamu had bumped shoulders with him, he felt a tiny spark.

He thought back to the vision he had back in the stadium:

_Bright lights. So bright, he almost couldn’t make sense of what he was seeing. It was like an explosion. He saw a man. With dark hair. It could be some other color, but what he saw was dark. He saw an outline of a face. It was a sharp image—the sharpest flash he’s ever had since he was eight years old. The more he tries to think back on the image, he was almost sure that what he saw was indeed a face._

_Whose face? Did he finally get a glimpse of his soulmate?_

_But why would they be looking at themselves?_ He struggled to understand the vision, but the images weren’t enough to pinpoint what it meant.

Anyway, wouldn’t matter to him if he never met his soulmate. At least he still had his family, and food. Food has always been his source of comfort, and he was content enough with that. He didn’t need to see to enjoy food.

Osamu had said that he didn’t have a soulmate. He would be lying if he said it didn’t give him some hope. A childhood friend of his doesn’t have a soulmate but they still found love. So, if a normal person like Osamu didn’t have a soulmate, he had no right to be upset with his low chance of identifying his.

He felt a connection towards the man during their short moment together. Just two individuals, feeling alone amongst their peers. Stuck with strings that led to an empty road. The bond of people without soulmates is a strong thing.

The feeling of loneliness is something they all share.

But Keiji does have a soulmate. But the odds are thin. How would he meet them? And what would his soulmate think about this? It’s not rare, after all—being attracted to someone else other than your soulmate.

Shaking his head slightly, he was overthinking things again. He is currently with his friends, celebrating their win. He should focus on where he is right now instead of thinking about nonsensical things.

He went back to his ramen, which was now lukewarm. Ramen is a type of food which is best served hot. But, it was still tasty to him. The burst of its savory flavors flooded his mouth and he sighed in relief when he has emptied the bowl. It reminds him of soft, breezy afternoons with his grandma visiting from her farm and the both of them slurping on her homemade ramen.

His life right now is enough for him. He had his family, his friends, and food.

What else could he ever ask for?

\- 

A month later, they had their finals coming up. Their volleyball team had been defeated in the finals by Itachiyama, earning them a silver trophy. Bokuto had been in his emo mode for an entire week—a great misfortune for his friends. It took many a food and compliments to cheer him up. They had even started calling him _Hero Ace Bokuto Koutarou_ , which Keiji suggested.

Eventually their loud captain went back to his normal, energetic self. Unfortunately, with their final exams just around the corner, he’s only been complaining about how hard his classes were and how he’s barely hanging on.

Thus, Keiji had volunteered to tutor him after classes. Bokuto had no college application exams because of his plan to pursue volleyball professionally, so he had time to spare for studying.

However, it wasn’t an easy task for Keiji.

“Bokuto-san, you misspelled rendezvous.” He told the ace calmly. “You spell it with an ‘E’, not an ‘A’.”

“Man!” Bokuto exclaimed, frustrated. “Why do I have to learn English?! You don’t even have to speak during volleyball games!”

Keiji frowned. “Then, how would you communicate to your teammates?”

“Hand signals!” the ace answered. “Hand signals are so much easier than English. Can you believe I learned all of them in just one day?!” Keiji could feel Bokuto bouncing on his bed, showing more enthusiasm in volleyball than in his studies.

He sighed. He thought that bringing out his whiteboard and magnetic letters would help him teach the volleyball player easier, but it turned out to be more challenging than he expected.

“Bokuto-san, how about we take a break and get some snacks?” he asked. Hopefully after eating, Bokuto would be more willing to pay attention to him.

“Oh! Yes, please!” he bounced off the bed and was already running towards the kitchen.

Akaashi stood up and was about to follow when his phone rang. He pressed the answer button.

“Hello, Keiji speaking.”

“Keiji dear, it’s mom.” His mother said. “Mrs. Tenma just texted me that she baked cookies and has some extras for us. Can you go pick them up?”

“Okay,” he responded. “I’ll go pick them up now.”

“Thank you, love! Take care, okay?”

Keiji smiled. “Of course, mom. I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Love you!”

“I love you, too.”

Mrs. Tenma was their neighbor, and she was always bringing them food. When she found out about Keiji’s love for food, she was so delighted. She and her son bake as a bonding activity. Keiji had told her once that she can open a bakery with how good her desserts were, and he overheard Mrs. Tenma ask his mother if she could adopt him, to which his mother had laughed loudly.

“Sorry, Mikoto-san,” his mother had said. “Keiji is one of a kind, and I’m very lucky to have him as a son.”

Keiji felt glad that their neighbor was so nice to them. He was shy at first and was scared he’d be pitied and avoided because of him being blind. But they’ve been nothing but nice and warm towards them.

“I’m just joking around,” Mrs. Tenma replied. “But Keiji is so much like my Udai when he was younger, I can’t help but treat him like my own.”

When Keiji was younger, Udai would read manga to him and even gave him some that were in braille so he could read them himself. But Udai had moved to Miyagi for high school because he was offered a scholarship there. Mrs. Tenma spent more time in their house since then.

Tenma and him still communicate despite him being busy with college stuff. He’s the only other person Keiji knows that doesn’t have a soulmate, aside from his new-found acquaintance Miya Osamu.

Tenma used to hate it, but he now accepts that there are some things that are really out of our power to change. And despite not having a soulmate, he and his boyfriend are still together and are doing great.

Pocketing his phone, Keiji heads to the kitchen. He could already hear his best friend rummaging through their cupboards.

“’ _Kaashi_!” Bokuto cried. “You’re out of cereals! I can’t study like this!”

Bokuto’s emo modes are frequent enough that the people around him are used to it. But Keiji knows something about the owl that nobody else does—Bokuto acts like he’s in his emo mode to get what he wants. He realized this fairly quickly when they started to hang out more.

It’s not a bad thing, being clingy and dramatic. In fact, Keiji is sure that his life would be extremely boring without the ace.

“Bokuto-san, I’m going to our neighbor for a minute.” He announced. “They have cookies for us.”

The ace’s head perked up at the promise of good, fresh snacks. “HELL YES! Say hi to Mrs. Tenma for me!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Keiji sighed. He headed towards the genkan to put on shoes, but he accidentally grabbed the wrong shoe. Bokuto did have a tendency to leave a mess in his wake. As he touched the shoe, he realized it wasn’t his.

But then, he realized something important. Something he almost forgot.

He held the shoe gingerly, feeling the grooves, the sole, and the lines. Keiji doesn’t own anything related to volleyball but he was almost a hundred percent sure that this was a shoe made specifically for the sport.

Keiji went back to where Bokuto was sitting at their couch, still holding his shoe.

“Bokuto-san,” he said, holding up the shoe. “What kind of shoe is this?”

“Hmm? Oh, those are my volleyball shoes.” Bokuto replied. “Why? Let me guess! You want a pair on your birthday?”

Keiji stood stiff on his ground. There was a storm of images in his head. He was thinking back to a vision he got months ago, during the Interhigh competion.

Hands, palms up. Liquid. Water. Tears? Sweat? Maybe…drool? He hoped not. They were looking down. Maybe a shy type? They had closed their eyes a bit and Keiji almost panicked that the vision would stop. But it didn’t. Then he saw shoes. He could make out the general outline of it. Lines, Stripes. He had touched enough textures to be able to visualize them in his head.

And the shoe he was holding right now? It was almost an exact replica of the one in his vision.

_Am I imagining this? Is this a hallucination? Am I asleep?_

Keiji dropped the shoe on the ground and took a deep breath. He’s overthinking, he knows that.

But what if….?

His brain was being overloaded by invasive thoughts.

He was holding volleyball shoes. And he previously has a vision showing them.

_These belong to Bokuto-san_. His visions also showed him grey hair.

Bokuto has grey hair.

“Akaashi?” Bokuto inquired from the living room. “I thought you were getting snacks!”

While he was putting his shoes on, Keiji responded with a “Sorry, I accidentally wore your shoes.”

He could feel his face heating up. What a stupid excuse. What a sorry attempt at hiding emotion. What a—

“HAHAHA!” Bokuto hooted. “I forgot to put them away, but that’s so funny!”

Keiji tried to smile in case Bokuto was looking at him. But he’s sure he looked weird. But Bokuto-san was Bokuto-san, and he’s always a bundle of joy even if the people around him can’t keep up.

Keiji added a “At least now I know that the smelliest shoes are yours,” as an afterthought. To make it seem like his mind was going crazy inside his head.

“HEY! THAT’S NOT NICE!”

-

Keiji was lying in his bed. His head was a mess. He was still thinking about his most recent vision.

After he had procured the cookies from Mrs. Tenma, he and Bokuto continued studying—with the ace munching on cookies after every question.

Bokuto didn’t seem to notice that Keiji was not his usual self. He’s always been a quiet person so there wasn’t much of a difference. But he himself knew that he was not himself.

Volleyball shoes. His soulmate played volleyball. His soulmate was a volleyball player.

And Bokuto Koutarou was a well-known volleyball player. With spiky, grey hair. And a bouncy, almost manic personality. According to Kaori, Bokuto could lead an entire parade and he'd still be the loudest one there.

He could feel his cheeks heating up and buried his face into his pillow.

The truth was: Keiji has had a small crush on Bokuto since their first meeting.

How could he not? The ace had a unique charm and was open about everything and was thoughtful and caring and—

He sat up. He shouldn’t assume such things. There was a low, low chance that Bokuto was his soulmate. After all, Bokuto would have said something. Now that Keiji thought about it, Bokuto never did talk much about his soulmate. His head was always in the volleyball clouds; always thinking about new techniques and new rivals. He was a volleyball nut through and through.

He sighed and stood up to get some water from their kitchen.

As he was sipping on his water, he heard his mother’s voice.

“Keiji? Why are you still up?” she asked curiously.

He put his glass of water down. “Ah, I couldn’t sleep.”

His mother hummed and got herself her own glass of water. “Is something bothering you?”

Keiji hesitated. Should he tell his mother? She was always supportive of him and she’s been there for him with every vision he’s had.

And she absolutely adored Bokuto. She was ecstatic when Bokuto first visited their home. She treated him like he was her own child and always expressed her gratitude to him for taking such good care of Keiji.

He knows his mother would be excited if he told her that he thinks his soulmate is a volleyball player. And that there’s a chance that it might be Bokuto.

But he stayed silent. He put his glass away and told her that he’s just worried about his studies.

It was a stupid excuse, but she bought it anyway.

He didn’t get much sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo, what do you all think? 👉👈


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